Projects / Cross Toolchains

General Information

Compiling programs on the LinkStation (native compiling) can take a very, very long time. A much faster method is to cross-compile programs using a cross-toolchain. A cross-toolchain allows you to compile code for the LinkStation on a faster computer with a different architecture, usually an i386/i686 desktop.

Please be aware the cross-toolchains only come with the glibc library. You may need to install additional libraries and headers to be able to compile some programs. You can grab the additional libraries and headers from the OpenLink filesystem or from the LinkStationWiki [ipkg repository]. The first architecture is the build system while the second architecture is the target system.

ScratchBox

Scratchbox is a cross-compilation toolkit designed to make embedded Linux application development easier. This sandboxed environment allows you to do a simple ./configure; ./make; ./make install without specifying any additional --host or --target parameters when starting configure.
Please consult the ScratchBox installation manual for more information. Scratchbox makes use of the cross compiler mentioned above to compile and link ARM binaries for the LS Pro. Make sure to download the so called "legacy" version.